wedding

I got to thinking about this today, because my niece, Stefanie, is getting married in just a couple of weeks. She and her sweetie are going to Jamaica for their honeymoon. FabGrandpa and I never took a honeymoon. We will be married 19 years in July. We went on a trip to Gatlingburg for a weekend, but it was before we were married. So, I have been thinking about us taking a trip for our 20th anniversary, next year.

I have always wanted to go to Cabo San Lucas, down in the baja of Mexico. I have dreamed about those white sand beaches, the seafood, the little thatched roof beach huts. But, he has always wanted to to to Costa Rica. When he was recuperating from his accident back in 1992 thru 1994, thinking about and talking about going on a trip to Costa Rica is what kept him sane. But, although we have always talked about going, we have never done it.

Today, when I was thinking about this, I found a beautiful place in Santa Teresa, Costa Rica. The honeymoon packages there started at $1145 per person, but there were other vacation packages starting as low as $545 per person that would make a great honeymoon trip. So, what do you think? Should we plan on a honeymoon for our 20 year anniversary? If you were planning a surprise trip, would you plan a trip to where your sweetheart wanted to go, or would you plan one where you want to go? Oh, the decisions!

On the way to Becky’s wedding, I met my sister at a gas station just off I-20 to drop off the Flower Girl Dress that I made for my niece’s wedding. My niece, Stefanie, is getting married in June. They were going to the bridal shop for their dress fittings, and they wanted to have the flower girl try on her dress, too.

Adayla trying on her dressShe loved her dress.It fits her pretty good considering I never saw her while I was making it.They'll have it hemmed and finish the straps about 2 weeks before the wedding.

Linda, my sister, said Adayla loved her dressy dress. They will have it hemmed and finish the straps a couple of weeks before the wedding. She’ll be such a cute flower girl.

I know you have all been waiting for pictures, so here ya go! It was the most beautiful wedding and we had so much fun! On Friday night, we went over to the Cornelia Community Center to meet up with Rafe’s parents and their friends Evelyn and Gabe, and Rafe’s Aunt Ann to decorate the venue and set things up. It was hard work, setting up tables and chairs.

Cornelia Community Center

We put out all the linens–table covers, chair covers, sashes for the chairs. Candles. Lots of candles. and tyed some more bows.

We tied all those bow! I think there were 85 of them.The fireplace decorated with greenery and candles

On Saturday night, we attended the Non-Rehearsal Rehearsal Dinner. We met so many people, and met up with our daughters there:

Left to right: Emily, Becca, Me, Becky, the bride.

Me and my girls--I am in Mama heaven here.

I wish I had taken pictures of the food. Becky and Rafe made sure there was gluten free food at the rehearsal dinner and at the wedding. I felt so special just for that! At the rehearsal dinner, which was held at The Nacoochee Grill in Helen, Georgia, I had Shrimp and Grits with Grilled Asparagus. OMG was it ever good! FabGrandpa had Flank Steak, and it was so tender he could cut it with a fork.

Here I am with the mother of the groom, Nancy

FabGrandpa and I really hit it off with the parents of the groom. At the rehearsal dinner, Nancy and I both stood up and said our little piece, and we both got all choked up and cried. (and of course our husbands and children laughed at us!) We are both just so very happy for our children.

The primp party!

On Sunday morning, Jenna Carros from Charmaine’s Inc. came to do everyone’s hair and makeup. I went first. Jenna did a wonderful job and made me look stunning! She put my hair up in a loose bun in the back, and my makeup was not too much. I loved the finished look.

FabGrandma all dressed up!

When it was time for FabGrandpa to get all dressed up, his daughter told him “Dad, put on your black Converse sneakers and let me see how they look with your suit.” She deemed it appropriate, and said “That is so “Dad”.”

Becca and her boyfriend, Ken

Emily and Dad Me and FabgrandpaThe Bride and her DaddyThe Bride and her GrandparentsThe Groom and his Parents: Buzz, Rafe, and NancyFabgrandpa. The Bride, and me getting wedding photos takenBecky and her Daddy walking down the aisleSaying their "I Do's"Mr. and Mrs. Rafe Singer

and then the party started! There are so many more photos, I may just post some more tomorrow.

I know I said I was going to do a tutorial on making the RV curtains, but I haven’t got around to it yet. Time just got away from me. I had a lot of things to get done this week, and going to Tuscaloosa to pick up my dress was one of those things. We combined it with stopping by the VA so FabGrandpa could get his quarterly blood/lab work done, going to the grocery store, and stopping by the fabric shop. That was yesterday. Today, I made a little envelope clutch bag to match my dress. It is just a simple little bag, just big enough to hold my Droid, my drivers license, a lipstick (If I actually buy one, as I don’t own one right now) some extra batteries for my camera, and some tylenol. Cause you know I’m gonna need it.

My MOTB Bag

I used the fabric that was left over from doing the alterations to my dress for the outside, and some of the brocade that was left over from the flower girl dress for the lining. It has a magnetic closure. The whole thing is small–that is my Droid X in front to give you an idea of the size of it.

Envelope Clutch Bag

Here is another pic with my hand it it to show the relative size of this bag. I think it is going to be just right. Oh, and look what came in the mail for me: a new business card case, engraved on the back. It has Swarovski Crystals on the front. I love sparkly!

After I finished the flower girl dress, it was time to start on the sash for my niece’s wedding dress. She wanted the sash to match the sash on the flower girl dress–it also matches the dresses the bridesmaids will be wearing. I put off making this sash because it is so long, and had to be turned after it was sewn, and I hate doing that. When I make tote bags, I fold and press, then top stitch the handles so that there is no turning involved. It’s just that the turning makes my fingers hurt.

My husband is such a good sport. He knew that this picture would wind up on the internet, but he doesn’t care. I guess I could have gone outside and tied the sash around a tree, but it was cold out there and I didn’t want to get the sash dirty. And FabGrandpa was handy, so there ya go. I am sure Stefanie will be a beautiful bride. The wedding party’s wardrobe is certainly looking good so far.

After months of it watching me cower in the corner, I finally made my move, and have emerged victorious over the Flower Girl Dress. While it thought it would leave me in a huddled mess, I stood up to the challenge of it’s incredible super powers. The Slick Fabric:

Slick Slippery Fabric

The dastardly Invisible Zipper:

The Invisible Zipper

The Stiff Fabric Sash:

The Stiff Fabric Sash

The Full Lining:

The Full Lining

The defeated enemy:

From the back

And again:

The Front

I am glad I took the challenge of making this dress. I learned some new techniques, and figured out how to put a lining in a dress when none is called for in the pattern. It was interesting, and fun. I still have some “finger work” left to do, but it is basically finished. I can’t hem it because the Flower Girl lives 250 miles from me, but I hate hemming anyway. We’ll have to wait until June to see a picture of Adayla wearing it. Stefanie and Adam are getting married on June 18. Next, I get to make the Sash For The Bride.

After months of looking in stores and online, I finally found a dress I liked–it was the color I wanted, the size I needed, a good price. So, I ordered it from BestBridalPrices.com. And held my breathe, hoping like crazy they would deliver it. It arrived yesterday, and I LOVE this dress. It fits me so well, except for needing some alteration on the sleeves and bodice, which can be done with no problem.

Outside for a different light, still looks good!

The wedding isn’t until February, so I still have plenty of time to find the right underwear, shoes, jewelry, jacket, and bag to go with the dress. I am soooo relieved about getting the dress, though. And Mr. Fabgrandma said “You are going to be the second prettiest woman at the wedding!”

While I won’t look as slim and sleek as that model, I have ended the search for my Mother Of The Bride dress for Becky’s wedding. I have only been shopping and searching for it since August of last year. This one has all the things I was looking for: It has sleeves, because I do not do sleeveless. It has a beaded or sequined bodice. It comes in amethyst, which is a color I like and that looks good on me. And it was reasonably affordable. It takes 11-16 weeks for delivery, the website says, so it will be a while before I can model it and see how close to her I look in this dress. I am just glad that the dress has been ordered. Now I just need to find some shoes, and a nice necklace to wear with it. The hunt is on…..